


Eden

by Mekre



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drug Use, F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-03-13 14:08:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18942550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mekre/pseuds/Mekre
Summary: Cade wakes up in Vault 111. There was never a husband and no baby Shaun; confusion sets in as she tumbles out of her cryo pod and all of her neighbors are long since dead. With only a lack of skills, no experience, a bit of gumption and eagerness to take on the wasteland one raider moron at a time; she’ll confront the boogieman they're all terrified of to save her new home.*I try not to do too many tags, they give away too much of the plot. Anyone else agree?*





	1. Chapter 1

The dank and musty scent of the vault beneath her feet was met with the a new moldy, rotting one in the open air of the outside. Everything was brown and dead. She tried not gag as she stumbled down off the platform and tripped onto her knees. A rock made a gash in the side of leg and her hand landed on something metal buried in the ground.

“Fuck!” she screamed into the void. It didn’t take a genius to know what kind of world she had crawled into. To know that it was possible she was the only person alive. To be aware that any amount of time could have passed. Ten years, five. Maybe even twenty. She also knew that she wasn’t going to last long. Her stupid vault suit and meager supplies wouldn’t work. The Pipboy on her arm detected only minimal amount of radiation but that didn’t mean food and water would be safe. She was going to die. Hungry. Cold. Alone. Her aunt would have loved this.

Finally, she decided that feeling sad for herself would get her nowhere and remembered the path she took to the vault in the first place. It felt like just moments ago. But, it wasn’t… it was… it was… it was unreal. Fucking unreal! She couldn’t believe it, not really. The rusted out cars, the small neighborhood she was approaching that used to be home. Empty. Broken. But standing. Sort of. Sort of standing was better than nothing and maybe that meant that there would be something inside that she could use.

Behind her, she began hearing a buzzing sound. It was faint at first, barely noticeable. Then it came closer, the sound almost deafening. Her heart began racing and she turned around to confront it to be faced with a monstrous bug.

Cade screamed and darted forward away from it as fast she could, toward the neighborhood. Running quickly, dodging debris, logs, bushes that had died eons ago-anything that had gotten in her way. She wasn’t a fighter but she was an athlete. And she absolutely fucking did not fuck with bugs! Finally she reached the main track of street, dodging more rusty cars and then finally inside the house that she had called her own. She ran straight for her bedroom and slammed the door shut and went to sit on the bed. Instead she fell flat on her ass into a pile of dirt and leaves and junk.

“Ma’am! Ma'am!” It was a familiar voice. And then she heard the buzzing, a couple zaps and suddenly it was quiet again. For only a few moments. “Ma’am! My Mistress would not appreciate you barging into her home the way you just did! Please leave before I am forced to use more aggressive manuevers.”

“Codsworth?” She asked through the closed door.

“Mum? Mum? Is that you? Is that really you? I’m coming in!”

The Mr. Handy robot flung the door open and if it could have hugged her she would have bet a million dollars it would.

“Codsworth! I’m so glad to see you!”

“Mum! I was so worried about you. It’s been so long. I apologize for not keeping the house,” his voice tapered down a bit.

“Codsworth, what’s wrong?”

“It’s been,” he would have taken a deep breath or perhaps sobbed here, she would have swore it, “I tried to keep the floors waxed for the first TEN YEARS! Nothing gets nuclear fallout out of vinyl wood! Nothing!”

“So it has been ten years! Oh my gosh Codsworth! That’s a long time to be alone. I’m so sorry,” she patted the poor robot on the side of his round body.

“Ten years? No, Mum. You must be suffering from hunger! You are late for dinner, I suppose not eating for a litter over two hundred and ten years will do that to a person! I wish I had something to offer you.”

She stared at him with stunned silence. Surely the robot was wrong. Broken. Something. It couldn’t have been two hundred and ten years. The world began to feel a bit woozy, spinning around her head, the trees began to shake and suddenly they were above her and Codsworth was catching her in a steady embrace.

“Mum, you need to rest and get some food, let me help you,” he gently placed her on the ground and she began to contemplate the idea that she could even see the trees through the roof of her house. It was a shamble. The entire thing was. The house, her life. The world.

“What now, Codsworth?” she asked him.

“What do you mean Mum?”

“What is the point of living? Are there other people alive?”

“What is the point of living?! Why Mum! I’ve never heard you talk that way before. Your aunt would be so disappointed.”

“My aunt. Well, she’s dead now anyway so it doesn’t matter.”

“Marlene isn’t dead, well I saw her five years ago. She might be dead now. Into some nasty business, that one.”

Cade fell over laughing, “Codsworth, how can it be two hundred and ten years since I last saw you and you saw Marlene five years ago?”

“It’s true, and she lives over in Goodneighbor. Or she did. Wanted to take me with her, but I refused, told her that you’d be disappointed if I left the house unattended.”

Again she couldn’t help but laugh, she decided she didn’t feel as woozy and tried to stand up. Codsworth helped her onto her feet and she dusted the leaves off.

“Do you know where this place is by any chance?”

“I do, in fact. She left a location for me in case I ever decided to 'Get any Sense'.”

“Sounds like her. Well, guess we don’t have anything to wait for. Let’s get going.”

“We should prepare, mum.”

“What do you suggest?”

Turned out Codsworth had a stash of weapons, food and ammo. She had no idea how to shoot a gun but she decided it was time to learn. After practicing a few rounds she decided it was good enough they headed out of Sanctuary. First stop: Concord.

*

When the Deathclaw finally died and laid in a heap of it’s own radioactive sludge she fell on her ass breathing heavily.

“What the actual fuck just happened?!” she screamed.

“Cade! You did it! Come back inside!” Garvey was beyond jubilant and it grated her teeth. She wanted to punch the man in his hat.

“Yeah. Sure.”

A few hours later the minutemen were headed towards Sanctuary. Cade, Codsworth and a German Shepherd she found at the old Red Rocket were on their way once again towards Goodneighbor. She was glad to have found the dog, he was a boy and apparently he could rip these fucking ghouls apart like nobody’s business. That was a plus in her book. The fight with the Deathclaw improved her shooting by default. It was either get good or get dead. So she got good. Codsworth prattled on about the state of the Commonwealth these days while she silently agreed with him; homesick for the days when she could go shopping for a new pair of pants or shoes and have lunch with her girlfriends. Now she just hoped she didn’t step in a puddle of glowing molerat shit.

Dogmeat (as his tag said his name was) was good at sniffing out the raiders who were scattered about the alleys randomly. They avoided them. But he absolutely loved to mess with the super mutant. They smelled like the meat and flesh they kept in chains and bags that hung from the ceiling. Their first encounter with the giant green assholes was nearly a disaster.

Codsworth got a hole in the left side of him, she narrowly escaped a similar fate and Dumb Dog Extraordinaire barked loud enough to attract the attention of an entire compound of them! The only option was to run. Codsworth yelled that it was the wrong direction but there was no choice, it was either that or death. She grabbed the idiot canine and yanked him away until he got the hint. Thankfully, her liabilities were able to keep up and the super mutants were too dumb to figure out how make a figure eight around the buildings.

When they found themselves smack dab in front of the Goodneighbor entrance she nearly fell on her knees and began praying to the Lord for the one kindness in the godforsaken wasteland.

It was short-lived.

  



	2. Chapter 2

“Whoa, whoa. Time out,” a gravelly voice came from a distance and a out stepped a talking ghoul. Cade walked backwards away from the man who was trying to sell her some shoddy insurance, shocked by the scene in front of her. The ghoul in the long red coat was actually defending her from the guy and all she could do was watch.

“Mum, I think we should-,”

And then the ghoul began stabbing the insurance salesman like he was a steak dinner.

“Umm, Codsworth. Were you going to say we should go?”

“Yes, Mum. We should go,” Codsworth was already reaching for the door when the ghoul man was approaching her wearing a warm welcoming smile- like he hadn’t just fucking stabbed a dude in front of her!

“You all right, sister?” he asked.

“You stabbed him!” she had tried not to shriek. But she did, and he laughed at her.

“That’s right. Now I know you had old Finn handled back there, but a Mayor's gotta make a point sometimes.”

“You? You’re a ghoul? The mayor?” Again she tried to keep her composure, but really the day she had; it had been too much. There was only so much a girl could handle.

“That’s right. Like my face? Think it gives me a sexy King of the Zombies kind of look. Big hit with the ladies.” And then he grinned at her, maybe a wink. And she leaned back, just a tiny a bit.

“Hmm.”

“Now listen, lots round here looking like me. Might wanna keep those kind of questions to yourself. Ya feel me?”

“Yeah sure. I feel ya,” she finally took a look around and noticed that indeed there were a few other ghouls walking around. A deep breath later and she recovered herself and decided that the mayor would be best person to ask about her aunt, “Do you happen to know a Marlene?”

“Marlene? Ya sure. She’s probably in the Third Rail right now. Round that corner,” he pointed over his shoulder with another grin.

“Thanks, Mayor uh-,”

“You can call me Hancock. And this is Goodneighbor; for the people, by the people. Need anything, just stop by the state house over there.”

“Thanks, Hancock.”

“Thanks, I didn’t get your name,” he stuck out his hand like any other politician she had known. Some things never die.

“Cade,” she put her hand out to his and when his skin touched hers she was surprised to find it was smooth and soft despite the ghoulishness of it. When she realized that she probably visibly reacted, she met his dark eyes with a nervous laugh. It was embarrassing.

“Told ya, big hit with the ladies,” he winked once before walking away and nodding to Codsworth. A small tingle of excitement filled her from somewhere and she quietly filled with joy. Shut up, she told herself, you’re an idiot.

The guard for the Third Rail grunted to her as she passed him and she realized it was just the entrance for an old train station. A lovely woman’s voice was singing down the stairs and followed it into a bar where another Mr. handy was serving drinks.

“Wow, it’s packed in here,” she said.

“Be careful Mum, I don’t think it’s safe in here,” Codsworth said.

“It seems fine, let’s get a drink. Maybe he has some information,” she nodded towards the bar and went up to the bartender.

“Payin’ customers only!” The Mr. Handy shot at her soon as she reached him, before even opening her mouth.

“How do ya know I’m not a paying customer?” She shot back.

“Seen a lot of em like you. Not a cap to ya.”

“Cap?”

“Like I said; payin' customers only.”

“Mum, I think he means the Nuka caps you’ve been picking up on the way,” Codsworth intervened.

“These?” Cade pulled out the sack of bottle caps she had been collecting, Codsworth called her silly for taking them but she noticed everyone had a sack of them so she kept them too.

“Bloody 'ell! You drinkin' or not!? Damn blighters.”

“Yeah, I’ll have a uh-“

“Beer. We 'ave beer.”

The robot set a bottle of cold beer in front of her and snatched a few caps from her sack and turned away to help another customer with the same amount of rudeness he had given her. Well, at least he was an equal opportunity asshole.

The beer was stale and went down harsh, but it was nice to have something cold. Warm water was beginning to make her throat scratchy.

“I don’t see your Aunt anywhere in here, Mum.”

“Well, let’s sit here and see if she shows up, I guess.”

They listened to the music and she drank her beer in silence. The other patrons gave her the side eye, some seemed to want to come up to her but never did. It made her glad, she wasn’t ready to talk to people. Not ready to make small talk. What was she going to say? “Hey, nice to meet you! My name's Cade. I’m from an ice box and I was frozen for two hundred and ten years!” That’ll go over well.

Three more beers, several songs later and Magnolia (the singer’s name) was back at where she started and there was no sign of Marlene.

“Oh, it’s the Vault dweller,” she felt somebody just behind her, heard the gravelly voice and turned to see Mr. Mayor, “How’s Whitechapel Charlie treating ya?”

“How’d ya know I was from a vault?”

“Got a certain look about ya, saw it in your eyes or something,” he sat down in the chair next to her.

Charlie was so polite to Mr. Mayor she couldn’t help but stare as he pulled a bottle of liquor out from under the bar and set it in front if him with a glass.

“Staring again, sweetheart,” he crooned.

She smiled, embarrassed, “It’s not because- I was just surprised. Charlie’s been an asshole all night.”

Hancock laughed loudly, “Good. People try to fuck over the bar if he ain’t.”

“I see,” she tipped her bottle back settling into her silence again. This time he was starting at her and she raised her eyebrows in response.

“What are ya looking for in Goodneighbor?”

“My aunt, Marlene. Remember?”

“Yeah, she’s usually around here,” he turned around looking, “Charlie! Ya seen Marlene tonight?”

“Back with MacCready, sir.”

The quick and easy response nearly knocked her off her seat. “Fuck. I could have done that an hour ago.”

“Well, then you couldn’t have had this drink I’m sharing with you,” he handed a glass to her filled with an amber liquid. His tricorn hat and happy grin was hard to say no to so she took it.

“Thanks,” then drank it back and set it down on the top before standing up and motioning to Codsworth who had floated off to the side out of the way from the humans around the bar, “be seeing you around Mayor.”

“See ya Vaultie,” he winked at her.

The door that Charlie had said Marlene would in was closed. On the other side she heard people arguing and it made her feel uneasy.

“Shit.”

There was no answer. Another knock. More yelling. Then a gunshot. Next she knew, Hancock was running over and busting the door open and she had her pistol out.

“Thought you didn’t want a war with Goodneighbor, Barnes?” a man said, gun held high. Next to him was another ghoul, this one was a woman- she thought, because she had a woman’s haircut at least. She also had a gun held up at two men who didn’t look like they were particularly friendly.

“Won’t be a war if they’re dead,” Hancock growls at the men.

“Hey, Mayor Hancock. No war. Just talking to MacCready here, no problem,” one of the men say.

“How about the two of you get out of Goodneighbor before something happens to ya?” Hancock said.

“Fine, fine. MacCready, remember what we said,” the other one quipped before walking out. Cade notices that the guards follows the men out leaving her with Hancock, MacCready and the ghoul woman. They begin to put their guns away and she follows, disappointed that Marlene isn’t there in the room after all. She goes to turn around when she hears her name.

“Cade? Cade? Is that you?” It’s another gravelly voice, although higher pitched.

“How, do you know me?”

“Cade, how are you here? Hancock, that’s my niece. But she’s supposed to be dead. Is she a synth?” The ghoul woman says.

Every eye turned on her suddenly and she cringed on herself and she didn’t know why.

“What’s a synth?” Cade asks, suddenly feeling afraid of them all.

 


	3. Chapter 3

They backed her up until she sat on the couch, each one with a gun pointed at her. The two ghouls had their dark eyes narrowed directly into her soul with pure hatred. If the woman was her aunt, she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“The Institute isn’t welcome in my town,” Hancock growled at her.

“What’s “The Institute”?” Cade's voice shook with all the fear she could muster and two more ghouls walked into the room with pointed guns.

“There’s no way you could be alive!” Her aunt said.

“I was the vault, frozen! Look! Ask Codsworth!” She pointed at the vaultsuit, then Codsworth and pleaded with her eyes.

“Frozen? What the hell kind of story is that? They’re coming up with good ones now!” Hancock yelled at her.

“It’s true! It’s true, I swear. I don’t know what a synth is!” Cade yelled back.

“That’s what a synth would say!” one of the ghoul guards said behind them, followed by several shouts of “Yeah! That’s what a synth would say!” A crowd was forming in the small room now, everyone that had been in the bar was now gathering to watch her swift demise.

“I don’t what to say! How can I prove it?” Cade begged.

Her aunt looked to Hancock, a moment of uncertainty crossing her features before turning back, a hard look on her face, “What’s your mother’s name?”

“Darling Rochester,” Cade said quickly.

“Too easy!” Hancock spit out.

“But-“

“Where were you born?” Her Aunt sneered.

“Ah, well,” Cade began.

“Just kill it Hancock! What are you waiting for? It’s going to kill us all!” Someone said behind him.

Hancock looked to her Aunt, a hairless eyebrow raised, expectations high.

“Answer the question!” the gun in her hand was pressed against Cade’s throat and her aunt looked her in the eye.

“It was in Boston- Ow!” the gun was dug into her skin.

“Wrong answer!” she spat.

“I wasn’t finished! My mom, she didn’t make it to the hospital in time so I was born in the taxi on the way there. The driver delivered me.”

Marlene lowered the gun with a wide look on her face, stunned and speechless.

“Does that pass the test?”

“It’s her…,” Marlene stepped back, covering her mouth unable to look at her niece.

“I don’t believe it, The Institute could have-,” Hancock began.

“No, it’s her,” Marlene said, “the records say she was born at the hospital. Her mother didn’t want the embarrassment and it wasn’t even in the papers. Snotty bitch.”

“Marlene, I still don’t trust her,” Hancock growled. Like everyone else they still had their weapons pointed at her.

“I can show you the vault,” Cade said.

“The Memory Den,” Marlene offered.

Cade looked up, “What’s the memory den?”

“They’re machine’s that can look at your memories, we can make sure your story is the truth,” Marlene said.

“Is that what I need to do so that you and the fucking town don’t kill me for being a whatever the hell you call it?” She had lost her patience. Marlene believed her, Hancock had even lowered his gun, she had noticed but everyone else was still looking at her like she was going to explode at any second and should be taken out immediately.

“Works for me if you’re willing,” Hancock said.

“Fine, but then everyone has to leave me alone?”

“Hey, you gotta understand these synths are tearin' up everywhere. Folks are afraid and it’s my job to make sure it’s taken care of, ya feel me?”

“I feel ya,” let’s get this over with.

An hour later she was strapped into a musty sweat smelling lounge char with a screen in front her. A woman with a strong accent was telling her to relax and be calm. She was nice but how the hell she could be calm and relaxed was anyone’s question. Her life was on the line and if this didn’t work out then the hell with it. How did they have this sort of technology when the world had gone to waste anyway? It was beyond her comprehension at the moment. Hancock and Marlene were sitting with the doctor watching the blank screen with the extra read out. MacCready had come as an extra gun “just in case”. She rolled her eyes, like she could take on even one of them by herself, they had made Codsworth wait outside because he had began to fuss about the safety of hooking her brain up to a machine.

“I know you aren’t the fuzzy warm feeling kind of aunt, but I swear if this doesn’t work out, you owe me,” Cade said.

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Amari said, “It’s perfectly safe.”

“Famous last words,” Cade mumbled.

She heard Hancock chuckle under his breath, “I hope you’re not a synth. I kinda like you.”

“I hope I’m not, I kinda like me too.”

It felt like something flickered and suddenly she was standing in her prewar kitchen. Codsworth was prattling on about her outfit for the date she had in a few minutes. Like something out of a horror film, she watched herself walk out of her bedroom in a tight low cut red dress and “fuck me” heels, checking herself in the mirror before going into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

She heard a disembodied whistle and “Shut up, that’s my niece!” before the doorbell rang.

“Don’t wait up for me!” she said to Codsworth before opening the door, grabbing her bag and rushing out it before her suitor could even say hello.

“This is uh, what exactly are we looking for?” Cade asked, awkwardly.

“How about we just look for the memories pertaining to the vault?” Marlene intervened quickly.

“We can do that, just let me- ah here we go, follow the trail, Cade,” Dr. Amari said.

It was strange popping from a memory and making her way to another, it felt like following a string but you felt it massaging a muscle inside your brain. Part of it felt so fucking good but some of it felt somewhat painful.

The next one was again in her prewar home, it was dark and Codsworth was waiting patiently in the dark- the home neat and tidy. A stark contrast to the rust and trash pile it was now. The door latch began to jiggle and she could feel her body begin to become flushed an embarrassed because she knew exactly which memory this was.

She was still wearing the red dress. But the heels were coming off, the date was picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom and she began to moan loudly almost immediately.

“Ooh, I like-,”

“If you finish that sentence,” Cade warned the Mayor.

“All right, all right,” he laughed but the moaning only grew louder as she approached an orgasm.

“Is there another memory Doctor?!” Cade yelled over herself.

“Yes. Yes. I’m so sorry. Here,” the rush in the poor doctor's voice told her that she was just as embarrassed as she was.

“Thank you,” Cade said before following that thread. Again she was in her prewar home. But she was just hanging around, the news was on the TV and she was planning a work trip abroad. A knock on the door. It was the Vault salesman. Finally. It seemed like only a few minutes later the news caster began reporting about the bombs dropping, then the sirens began and she was running towards the vault. Past her neighbors, past the guards, down the vault elevator platform as the Boston bomb went off in the Commonwealth.

“I had never seen what it was like when it happened,” Hancock said.

“It felt like,” her voice cracked, “minutes. Moments. Mere moments before it happened. He knocked on my door, I registered and then…”

“I have the next memory ready,” Dr. Amari said.

“Thank you,” Cade said, “Marlene, how did you survive?”

“I didn’t,” she said.

“But you’re-“

“A ghoul. That’s how I survived. You die or become something else. That’s what happens.”

“Oh.”

Cade stepped into the memory.

The Vaulttec personnel were leading her through the facility, she changed into the suit and then into the pod. They had tricked her. She wasn’t being decontaminated. She was being put into cryogenic storage like a fucking frozen dinner.

“God damn those bastards,” Cade said.

“Vaulttec did some pretty nasty shit,” Hancock said.

“Am I free now? Can I stop?” she asked.

“I think this is enough,” Marlene said.

“Yeah you’re free, story checks out, welcome to the wasteland Vaultie,” Hancock said. 


	4. Chapter 4

She watches Hancock settle back into the red upholstery of the worn sofa next to her inside the state house; his personal residence. His eyes drift away as whatever drug he just took carries him from the conversation.

“They tricked you into the cryo pod and there you were for over two hundred years,” Marlene repeated for the upteenth time.

“Give it a rest, the girl’s already said so. Take some of this,” Hancock tossed a package of whatever it was her aunt and returned to starting at the musty old ceiling.

There were so many thoughts racing through her head about what she was even supposed to do with her life now that she didn’t know what to say. Did she go back to Sanctuary and to her house? Stay here with Marlene? Somewhere else? What did people even do?

“Vaultie might need some too, something to calm your nerves. Unless there’s something else I can do for ya?” Hancock winked her with a grin.

“Don’t you be giving her any of that shit, she doesn’t need a chem addiction,” Marlene snapped.

“Hey, I was just offerin. Watch yourself there,” he said.

“Or what?”

“Well, I don’t know,” he yawned, “A Mayor's gotta assert his, you know, assertiveness.”

Cade couldn’t help but laugh, “Wish we had Mayors like you back then.”

He tipped his tricorn and smiled a toothy grin, “I serve to please. So what’s your plans Vaultie? Gonna hang your Pip Boy here in Goodneighbor with us for a while?”

Cade looked around the room, the million dollar question. She noticed Marlene had been ruffled by the question, likely not wanting Cade to stick around she figured. “I don’t know, I met this group in Concord; the Minutemen? Said they were going to Sanctuary and invited me there with them too.” Mama Murphy and her freaky talk wheedeled itself into her mind, predicting the fight with the fucking Deathclaw perfectly and then the other shit about her future. She couldn’t help but shudder. Maybe going to Sanctuary could wait.

“The Minutemen? Thought they were wiped out after Quincy?” Marlene said.

“Some nasty business there, but hell, if someone’s helping people- can’t say no to that,” Hancock said.

“More like I helped them,” Cade said.

“You?” Hancock turned towards her, the look of surprise comical.

“Yes me. I know how to handle a gun, believe it or not. My father taught me. I just- I don’t like to fight,” She said.

“I was wondering how the hell you made it all the way up to my town with just your Butler in tow,” he chuckled.

“He did most of the work, I didn’t have anything good to protect myself. The gun is shit and the vault suit might as well be a fucking flash grenade,” she said.

Marlene didn’t say anything more, just shifted around in her seat uncomfortably looking at the floor and everywhere else. Cade knew her own presence was unnerving and every minute she felt more and more like she needed to go but Marlene stood up suddenly crashing the wooden chair she had been sitting in to the floor.

“I’m heading to the rail, need a drink. Can she stay here for the night Hancock?” Marlene asked.

“Of course,” Hancock stood up and went over to one of the guards outside of the room and then came back, “Told him to let Charlie know your drinks are on me tonight. For the little inconvenience earlier.”

“Thanks, Mayor.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Marlene was out of the state house in seconds and Cade put it out of her mind that the only family she had didn’t want to be near her.

“Look Vaultie, Marlene has had it rough. Don’t let her bother ya. I know she said not to give ya any, but here, you’ll like it,” he moved closer and stuck the inhaler in her hands, “It’ll knock that frown off your face. Too beautiful for that. And hey, tomorrow we’ll get ya settled and figured out. But for tonight; relax and let go. Ya feel me?”

She had a strange existential panic raise to the surface listening to him talk. She knew who was just a week ago. Single girl without a care. Comfortable. Now she was homeless, broke, living at the end of the good damned world staring at a irradiated man wondering what it'd be like to kiss him since he didn’t have much for lips. Because in her other life, the one she had a week ago, she did what she liked. Who she liked. Fuck what people said.

“I know my ugly mug is interesting, but it’s not polite to stare,” he said.

“What?” she looked up at his dark eyes, which she noticed were cloudy now.

“Take that Jet,” his textured fingers grazed hers when he touched the inhaler still just sitting in her palm.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t actually-,”

“Don’t apologize, just don’t go off starting at the others round town. They’re more feral than me.”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. I just was wondering what it’s like to kiss you,” and fucking hell she was embarrassed. Before she wouldn’t have been, being forward and taking exactly what she wanted was who she was. But here everything was suddenly an uncertainty, including this; attraction. Something that had been so clear and obvious to her before; her mind was now a giant puzzle that had gotten overturned and she was putting all the pieces together one tiny bit by tiny bit.

“I’m not one to back off from an opportunity,” he leaned close enough for her to smell cigarettes and booze on him even though she hadn’t seen him drink in quite some time.

“Mr. Mayor, I,” she swallowed, but then abruptly stood up fanning herself dramatically, “Is it hot in here? I miss air conditioning already!” He fell over on his face with a grunt and she turned away ignoring the wave of guilt she felt.

“It was,” he grumbled.

“Sorry, I’m just not feeling like myself right now.”

“Hey, I can take a hint. If Ghoul isn’t your flavor, I get it. You don’t have to beat round the bush, Vaultie.”

Her stomach dropped, it wasn’t like that, not even in the least, “No. That’s not-“

“Hey, don’t go out of your way to make excuses. Already heard em all.”

“No, really. It’s just, this is all too much. Too fast.”

“Its not me, it’s you. Yeah, I saw your date just fine, remember? Not worried about too fast then, were ya?”

She spun on him quick, how dare he? “What?”

The look on his face immediately went slack, he knew fucked up and began stammering that he didn’t mean that the way it came out, that he doesn’t judge, doesn’t care.

“I was talking about being here! Not about sleeping with you! I literally just woke up from a two hundred year nap. You’re an asshole.”

“Not the first time I’ve been called that,” the door slammed open and his right hand walked in with a mean look on her face, a gun ready in her hand.

“What’s going on?” she looked between the two of them, Cade standing over the Mayor with a feral look of her own, “Do I need to gut someone?”

“Stand down Fahr, she’s just calling me out on my bullshit,” he chuckled.

“Someone needs to, long as you’re not dead after,” Fahrenheit quipped.

“Don’t worry, she ain’t gonna do nothing,” he wrapped his arms around the back of the couch and set his booted feet on the coffee table.

“Fine, I’ll be right out here,” Fahrenheit left again, shutting the door behind her.

Cade groaned before petulantly storming over to the window and looking down onto the streets, watching the drifters roam below her. Two of them huddled into an alcove, doing only God knew what; shooting up chems, fucking, making a deal of epic proportions. Hancock was quiet now, realizing that his mouth wouldn’t help her. She imagined her future, wondering if she would end up like the two in the alcove. Desperate, hungry, addicted. Everything she worked for had been ripped from her in a matter of minutes.

Other women she knew would cry, break down and maybe have a panic attack but that wouldn’t change a god damn thing. She would still have nothing and nothing to do about it.

“What do people do at the end of the world?” she finally said, sucking in a breath.

The inhaler pump hissed behind her before he spoke, “Survive.”

“That’s it? Just survive? You don’t live? You don’t have anything you enjoy or do?”

“I’m living and enjoying right now, sweetheart,” she could feel his lecherous grin on her backside and she couldn’t help but smile.

“You do more than survive, you’re the mayor of these people,” she said.

He was silent for a long while before saying anything, “I help people who need helping and hurt those who need hurting. It’s simple.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah,” he huffed again on the inhaler, “I don’t have any Mentats for this intellectual conversation, so why don’t we just have a drink or two more?”

“You’re an enabler,” she said.

“A what?” he was confused, and a bit off put by the accusation but she turned around with a smile.

“I was joking, maybe you’re right. I’m a too wound up right now,” she grabbed a bottle of something that resembled whiskey…maybe, and took a long chug, “Ugh! This is terrible.”

“That a girl!” he cheered as she sat on the couch opposite him this time.

“I was much more fun before, ya know.”

“Oh I saw how much more fun you were, I’ll be remembering that for a while.”

“Ugh, how embarrassing. With my aunt there too. It’s all just a lot to take in, you know? I was freaking frozen!” The booze settled in nicely, her nerves feeling a bit less existential.

He nodded his head as he lit a cigarette, “So what did you do before ya know.. Ka-boom!”

“I was a model, actually. Did advertising work for clothing stores, appliance companies, robotic companies, different stuff.”

“No shit, I heard about that kind of work before from Daisy- the ghoul that runs the shop down there- didn’t believe people got paid for that shit before, till now. Thought she was pulling my leg.”

Cade laughed, “Yeah it sounds ridiculous here. Can’t imagine it being anything but silly to any of you. Can I have one?” She pointed at the pack of cigarettes and he was all gentlemanly about it and leaned over and even lit it for her.

“Tastes like shit,” she said coughing.

“Seems normal to me,” he said.

“They’re stale as shit,” but she kept puffing on it. Better than nothing; drinking and smoking went hand in hand like frosting on cake. It hit the spot. She thanked herself for leaving Codsworth and the dog down at the Third Rail, he would have been lecturing her about her health had he been floating around.

“Marlene doesn’t seem happy to see you,” he put the last of his cigarette out.

“I’ve always been a thorn in her side. What’s she do around here anyway?”

“Not my business to talk about my people, Vaultie. Have to ask her yourself.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “That sounds ominous as shit.”

He shrugged his shoulders and took a drink of the bottle he had sitting before him. They talked for a couple more hours about the what he called The Commonwealth, Goodneighbor, even his exile from the other large settlement at Diamond City. Which had prompted his entire ethos in life, and likely the obvious guilt he still carried.

It was almost dawn when she found herself curled up on her side falling asleep, she was sufficiently hammered and vaguely remembered a blanket being draped over her at some point. Cade didn’t wake up again until there was a slamming door and someone shouting about a storeroom being broken into.

The blanket was thrown off and she was looking for her discarded shoes within seconds, they were nowhere to be found and quickly gave up running towards the door just as it opened up to run smack into Fahrenheit's metal chest.

“Ow!” The clunk sounded worse than it felt but she rubbed her probably bruised nose, “What’s going on?”

“Your aunt and someone wearing a vaultsuit like yours broke into Hancock’s storeroom. Caught em red handed,” she growled.

“What?! Marlene did what? Wait, say that again?” Another set of footsteps were pounding up the spiral staircase, just as angry and jumpy.

“You heard me,” Fahrenheit said, “Want me to chase em down boss?”

“No, you did the right thing, Marlene walked away. Damn. Right under my nose.”

“Shouldn’t let them get away with this Hancock,” Fahrenheit had a warning tone to her voice.

“You’re talking about my aunt,” Cade interupted.

“So what if I am? You don’t steal from the Mayor,” Fahrenheit growled at her.

Hancock winced and walked out of the room, Cade followed him, ignoring her.

“Hancock, wait. You can’t kill her, she’s all I have. Please,” she remembered his ruthlessness when she had just stepped into town and had barely spoken a word.

“Now wait a minute sister, I ain’t going to go kill her,” he leaned up against the wall next to a door, “Is that what you think of me?”

“You killed Finn soon as I walked in, barely compares to stealing from you,” She said, tamping down the panic, not sure whether she could trust him.

“I need to take a walk again, what am I turning into the man? A tyrant? Putting down the people I would have been proud to scheme with just a few years ago. Thought about what we talked about last night, what do people do at the end of the world?”

She was speechless, not expecting him to say all of this, “I don’t know what to say. What about Goodneighbor? You’re the mayor. Can you just leave?”

“Hey, the mayor’s still the mayor whether he’s in residence or not. I’ve walked out of here plenty of times, keeps me honest. Can’t let power get to my head, that’s not what being in charge of Goodneighbor's about.”

“Well, shit. Thanks for not killing my only relative I guess?”

“Don’t mention it. So, this is out of the blue but you said you’re a good shot. Want to come with?”

Again, she was fucking speechless, standing there gaping with her mouth open and nothing coming out of it.

“I figure you could learn a thing or two, we could get into trouble. I didn’t mind your company last night. If it don’t work out I can always bring ya back to your aunt or to wherever you wanna go. No pressure.”

There was a moment that she had to mull it over but her impulsivity wanted to jump on the opportunity immediately. Her brain kept reminding her of the horrors she encountered on the way to Goodneighbor in the first place, the Deathclaw, the raiders she snuck past, the pools of radiation that were not inviting.

“Look, I’m not sure if I’m the adventuring type. What if I get us killed? Or worse?”

“How about we go visit this so-called Minuteman you met back in Concord and see what he’s about? I’ve been curious to see what they’re up to since you mentioned them. Then we come back here and regroup?”

It was less daunting than the random walk-about he had originally thrown at her and much easier to chew on, “I think I can agree to that.”

“Let me just have a little chat with my community first, give them the news.”

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am changing the title of this fic to just Eden. The more I stare at it, the more I hate it. Lol 
> 
> This is, by the way, a complete vanity project that is a bit of escapism for me while I work on remodeling my house so we can sell it. I'm utterly exhausted and stressed out and I truly appreciate the reading of my unedited indulgence. My other ME work is on hiatus because of all that is going on. It has a more clear direction and outline unlike this one. I admit; this is a pantser fic, with a vague direction in my head. So if there are any inconsistencies, I appreciate either the complete overlook of them or pointing them out. 
> 
> Thanks again! 😁😘

Marlene never came back to town and neither did the other Vault dweller she had been seen with. Both had vanished into the Commonwealth underbelly for the time being, which suited her just fine. Cade didn’t feel like addressing her aunt who was apparently still the trainwreck she had been before. They always said war never changes, well neither does Aunt Marlene.

Hancock made sure they were supplied for the walk back to Sanctuary, with Codsworth and Dogmeat in tow they left Goodneighbor behind them. Strength in numbers was great; made her feel more at ease. But it also attracted attention- especially since they were a diverse group. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke; a blueberry, ghoul, robot and a dog walk into a bar… They may as well have had a giant flashing target on them.

She met her first Super Mutant ten minutes after they left the confines of the town. Luckily he was a stray on patrol so there was no group of them to lurch out of the shadows at her. Hancock laughed at her expression once he was dead though, nearly falling over in a fit. The nasty creature was monstrous.

“You are a nice shot though Vaultie,” he crooned at her.

“Like a woman who can handle a gun, then?”

“Like a woman who takes care of business.”

They decided to rummage through ruins to get gather supplies, clear out areas and for Cade to generally get better acquainted with the Commonwealth's rough and tumble population. She wasn’t excited about it but he gave her a hard time if she complained.

Dogmeat and Hancock became best friends almost immediately through a symbiotic fighting style. Dogmeat ran in first to scare the shit out of their unsuspecting enemy ripping a leg to bits and Hancock blew their faces off with his shot gun. He gave her more credit than she deserved since those two did a lot of the work if she were honest.

By the end of their first night on the road she was exhausted. The extra time spent scavaging through the ruins, climbing stairs and trying not to fall to her death was more than she had been used to in a previous life.

“I need to rest,” she huffed as they ascended a skeptical looking stairwell.

“We’re almost there, Vaultie. Then you can rest. An old spot of mine, secure for the night.”

“Good. Good.”

Three more flights and her legs were done, but so were the steps. He led her out onto the roof where an old shack was placed.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” he grinned, “Have all the things you’ll need for a luxury getaway. Booze, chems, uh… is there anything else?”

“Food, water, bed?”

“Oh, right. That too!” He laughed and went over to the door of the shack, “No one knows about this place, I sneak off every once in a while, just to get away.”

“Don’t worry, Mayor, your secret's safe with me. Scout’s honor,” I held up two fingers in oath.

“Scout’s honor?”

I choked on his puzzled expression, laughing, “It’s and old saying I guess. I’m starving.”

“Well, let me rustle you up something,” he smiled big and she couldn’t help but join him.

The little shack had a couch, bed, shelf with all of the Mayor’s favorite booze stocked. There was a safe next to it, she figured that’s where he kept his chem stash while he was away. It was a nice little cozy place if she were honest and not at all what she was expecting. And not because she wasn’t expecting anything at all either, but because she thought Hancock had enjoyed his fame, attention and duty as Mayor. It was surprising that he had a getaway home at all.

An hour later they were munching on a steak of something she couldn’t remember the name of, it was mostly flavorless but was satisfying enough. He was already high on something and she was staring into space thinking about nothing for the first time since she had crawled out of her pod. The exhaustion had done her some good.

“I’m beat,” she said as she finished and set the plate down. They were sitting outside next to the campfire he had made for them.

“A little nightcap?” he held up an inhaler, twitching it in his hand.

She appraised it for a moment but nodded and stuck her hand out taking it. The first puff cleared her airways of gunk she didn’t realize were there but then the drugs hit her and she leaned back letting them take her.

“This is nice,” she crooned.

“Sure is,” his voice trailed, it seemed closer than before and she turned her head very slowly and he was sitting right next her.

“Hiiiii,” she giggled.

“Didn’t think you’d take it,” he remarked.

“Was a party girl once in a while before, had to for my job,” she was staring at the ruffles on his shirt like they were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

“Like what you see?”

“It’s weird seeing you in that getup,” she laughed.

“What? Why?”

“It was in a case at the Old State House back in my time, looks good on you though. Went to a few parties there, ya know. Funny how life turns out.”

“I feel what you’re sayin' sister. Here,” he handed her the inhaler again, she hadn’t even noticed she didn’t have it anymore. Another puff. Now she was laying down staring at the stars, the dark, looking at the sky that was always familiar it seemed, no matter what time you were in. She felt a hand on her cheek and she looked over to him, he was looking at her with those eyes that people get when they’re enraptured with something. It was interesting.

“Smoothskin like you has no business hanging out with someone like me,” he said, low, right into her ear, he was leaned over top of her. A wave of goosebumps erupted across her skin, his touch was light and soft. She heard Codsworth floating around somewhere in the distance but it could have been another planet for all she knew.

“What’s someone like you?” she reached up to cover his hand, pressing his against her face, the touch becoming more clear. When her other hand found the skin on his neck, she felt him shiver beneath her own touch. “Roguishly handsome King of the Zombies?” She smiled.

“Told you it’s a big hit with the ladies,” he kissed her mouth with expertise she hadn’t experienced in years, ignoring the 200 or so of course, plying her lips open and dipping his tongue to touch hers. It took no coaxing on her part and she gave in readily, giving back just as much, to which he was happy to oblige. Cade pulled him closer and explored the back of his head with her hand, feeling the ridges of his irradiated skin and loving the way it was soft and smooth. His Tricorn hat was tipped off his head eventually when their kissing became heated and sloppy, their bodies not aligned properly for what they yearned for.

When he pulled away from her she sucked in a breath, thoroughly shocked that he had done so.

“Why’d you stop!” she exclaimed.

“The Jet, don’t want you to do something you might regret in the morning,” he said, breathing in a deep breath.

“Oh, well it’s all right,” she touched his arm, tugging slightly, “I think it’s worn off mostly anyway.”

He looked around like he had to think about it for a moment, then at Codsworth and the dog.

“If you don’t-“

“No! No, I do,” he blurted, “believe me, I do.”

“Then,” she looked at the shack doors and stood up, grabbing his hand.

“I guess you talked me into it Vaultie, never been the type to tell a lady no.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Cade began unzipping her vault suit at the neck, revealing smooth pale skin that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the Commonwealth. Hancock’s eyes seemed to darken two more shades at the sight as he stepped into the shack and let the door slam shut, not worrying about the noise- despite possibly attracting unwanted attention from the various bad guy groups roaming below them.

His hands seized her hair as they wrapped around behind her head and tugged her close to him, “Let me do that.” He kissed her again. This time rougher, his tongue pressing against hers hungry for anything he could taste and lick along her lips and against her tongue. Hancock’s body was a hard wind was she was pushed against the shack's wall, still being tugged by hair. He sucked and bit her lips with the delight of a man who thought they were to be worshipped. It was all at once more than she could have asked for and not enough.

Cade ran her fingers along the edges of his frayed frock coat, the layers of clothing frustratingly keeping her from touching any skin. She returned kiss for kiss, suckle for suckle but it was becoming not enough and her body craved more. The groan low in her throat when he began to kiss along her jaw and down her neck while he pushed down the vault suit made him grin.

“In a hurry Vaultie?”

“Cade,” she sucked in a breath, he had found a nipple and pinched it hard, “call me Cade.”

Hancock licked her skin from her collarbone up to the lobe of her ear, “Cade. You wanna call me John then?” His voice was low and heaven help her, she moaned; his raspy sultry tone nearly undid her.

“John,” she whined it. Have mercy on her, she begged. He pinched her nipple again, it was through the suit still and so sensitive, she whimpered with pleasure. She didn’t think that being frozen could accumulate lust but maybe it did?

“I like my name on your pretty pink lips, you say it all nice like,” he kissed her again and she moaned.

The suit was lowered more; she had to let go of the tight grip she had on him to free her arms. The cold air and rough walls of the shack bit her skin when it was removed. But he held her tight to him quickly realizing it bothered her. John held her by the waist with one hand and gripped just below her ass with the other and led her to the bed. Along the way, Cade managed to get the old coat off of him to reveal a blue vest underneath that only serve to piss her off.

When they reached the bed, she pulled away from his kisses reluctantly to untangle him from the mess of clothing he wore. First the flag, then the long vest. John stood there patiently allowing her to take them without a word.

“You have more clothes on than I do,” she said when she finally managed to unbutton the frilly layer revealing his bare chest.

“Gotta keep up appearances,” he grinned, “Like what you see?” It occurred to her for a moment that he was not asking because he was sure of himself.

“I do,” Cade didn’t bother with words that may or may not be believed. She placed her hands on the inside on the open shirt and swept her hands out to make it drop to the floor. Then she leaned into his neck kissing softly at first, and slowly increasing pressure with her lips and licking sucking. His skin was ridged, had a slight metallic taste to it but wasn’t at all unpleasant and it was sensitive. He was groaning and holding on to her the same way she had been onto him before.

Eventually his balance gave way to pleasure and he tugged her down onto the bed with him. Her legs tangled into his at first but she maneuvered herself so that she was straddling him. He didn’t give her a chance to go back to kissing and loving on him, he grabbed her by the face and devoured her. It was more forceful and needy than it had been yet, his hips pressed up and she felt his length hard as a rock. Her eyes rolled back just thinking about what was to come.

“I need to get this suit off,” she breathed hard.

“What are ya waiting for?” At that moment he reached behind her and unsnapped her bra, grabbed it and tossed it across the room. The next moment he had her left breast in his mouth and was suckling hard on him, the intense pleasure was almost too much.

“John, oh. Fuck…,” She tried to wriggle away- she only wanted to get naked!- but he held her close and switched to the other breast instead, “Mmm, John.”

“You always this sensitive? I could get used to this,” his raspy voice sent shivers down her spine as his fingertips gripped between her shoulder blades and his hip thrusted up grazing her most sensitive area.

“Fuck! I really-“

His mouth popped off her nipple leaving it read and puffy, she watched him admire it for a moment before peeling the suit down her ass a bit. It wouldn’t budge with her standing so she stood for only a moment to lower it, her undies and to kick her boots offs. John had other plans.

Just as she went to crawl back on to his lap, ready to unbutton his own pants he grabbed her hips to stop her.

“What?”

He smiled and began kissing her stomach, slowly, rubbing his fingers across the tops of his thighs. She was looking down at him impatiently when his fingers found her sweetest spot and instantly her legs turned to jelly. Cade nearly buckled over.

“I’ve never-“

“Don’t say it John,” she moaned as he inserted a finger and leaned forward and a little over him. “Oh god, that feels so good.”

“I bet it does, you’re soaking wet,” he pulled out and she cried at the missing friction.

Cade was never the type to wait for the guy to do what she needed, she gently pushed on his shoulder and grabbed him by the jaw.

“John, I need to fuck now, is that okay with you?”

“Vaultie, if you ask like that, I’ll do anything you want, I’m yours,” he was unbuttoning his pants and pulling them down as she crawled over to him and by the time she was straddling him again there were no barriers.

In a single swift angle and hip movement she lowered herself down onto his cock. John’s fingers gripped her hips tight and they moaned in unison, which almost made her giggle if it weren’t for how fucking good it felt to have him inside of her. His legs were still off the bed and he was sitting awkwardly so he sat up. This thrust himself deeper inside of her which sent a way of pleasure she hadn’t been expecting, but he gave her a roguish grin and thrust up again and moaned for him.

“You sound so good,” he growled, “where ya been all my life?”

“North of Sanctuary, ah! Official popsicle of The Commonwealth, at your service,” she moaned again and wrapped her arms around his neck. This time she wanted a bit of leverage so she could move herself. With a deft hip flick she had him stilled and with a few more she was already chasing her own orgasm. Each one rubbed her clit against the ridged skin on his cock, creating sensations she didn’t think were possible.

He held onto each of her ass cheeks as she rode his dick, feeling her wetness coat both of their thighs. She felt the first of the waves hit her when his lips found hers, crying obscenities between their lips and feeling it’s peak when he began to grunt and moan along with her. Their shared pleasure seemed to last for minutes before they slowed their movements, covered in sweat and kissing slower and slower until their lips eventually just rested on each other. The both of them breathing deep, unable to catch a big enough breath.

“That was nice,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he said.

They rested their foreheads against each other for sometime before she decided to get up. Awkwardly, she wasn’t sure what to clean the mess up with and stood there looking around feeling a bit vulnerable until he handed her the cleanest cloth she had seen yet. She couldn’t be more grateful if she tried.

“Uh, John, I know it’s a little late to ask but uh, back in my time we uh, used birth control,” she said.

He laughed, “Don’t worry, Ghouls are as infertile as they come. Something to do with all the radiation.”

“Right. Right.”

“Now, come here and let’s get some sleep, long walk tomorrow.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me all day! Normally smut is what rolls right off the keyboard but apparently this didn't want to come. (😅) But here it is and I hope it's all right. Thanks for reading, I'm having so much fun writing this and I really appreciate all the views and kudos. 🥰


	7. Chapter 7

Gunshots and loud explosions rocketed them from the bed only a couple hours after they fell asleep.

“PUNY HUMAN!”

Super Mutant shouts too close for comfort got them out of bed, dressed and ready to roll quicker than they could think. They were out the door and meeting up with Dogmeat's barking at the ledge. Below them were raiders fighting off a pack of the green monsters heroically. Cade hushed Dogmeat before he could draw attention up to them.

“Sorry Vaultie, we should get out of here,” Hancock said.

She nodded in agreement and told their other two companions with a flick of her wrist to come on. They grabbed their packs and made sure the campfire was put out before sneaking down a rickety fire escape on the opposite side of the building. They stuck to the shadows and kept a wide berth from the fighting. She was grateful that Hancock didn’t want to get involved.

Cade missed the warm snugness of the bed they had jumped out off as they crept between the buildings and out of the main city of Boston. They followed her map on the Pip-Boy through the darkness, Hancock freaking out when she attempted to use the dim green flashlight that was equipped on it. She hadn’t even thought that it might attract attention. As Concord came into view the sun began to peak through the clouds.

“Sanctuary is just up there past Concord, we cleared it before separating. So it should be fine,” she said with a heavy breath.

“Don’t be so sure, Raiders don’t stay away for long, we should go around just in case.”

Her sleepiness and sore feet wanted to whine and complain at him but nodded instead, feeling like an aimless feral at that point. She wasn’t paying much attention when the Red Rocket came into view. Dogmeat’s barking startled her, instantly she grabbed for her pistol but saw nothing around them.

“There’s nothing here,” she whispered.

The animal ran ahead of them and Cade called out to him, “Stupid dog!”

“Shhh, might be some ferals or somethin',” Hancock said. Then on queue, the gurgling groans rushed them as a pack appeared from around the back of the old station. Hancock’s shotgun fired off quickly, dropping one but he was overpowered easily as he tried to reload. Instead reaching for the knife he had stowed in his back pocket, then began slicing the necks of whichever feral came close.

Cade dropped back behind an old stump and guard rail for cover shooting as well as she could but the damn things were fast. Her pistol wasn’t good for shooting so far away but she didn’t want to come out from cover. Codsworth tried to help by blasting them in the knees while dogmeat chewed on the limbs as well. Cade could shoot but panic and weariness were quickly overcoming her creating a surge of tremors that began in her shoulders and down to her fingertips.

“Damn ferals!” Hancock roared.

She had to come out of her hiding spot and get closer to be effective, to—three more of them came out from the bushes to her left. They were grotesque and smelled like rotting meat and offal, their tongues hanging by mere shreds of flesh. One of them had their entire tibia exposed through their skin. She screamed as they ran her over, clawing at her face. Their strength was much more than she had anticipated, her arms useless against the onslaught of the monsters who used to be people. Still dressed as people-- now trying to eat her alive.

The panic that had caused the tremors was long forgotten, only a will to live and she realized that the gun was still in her hand; pointed towards the feral's thin jaw and head. In an instant it was dead and she pushing the corpse off of her. The other scrambled at her, biting for her ankles like a couple of Chihuahuas. One received a sharp kick in it’s face, knocking it’s jaw loose- blood and rotting who knew what poured out onto her leg. The other took advantage of her moment of disgust and lunged toward her torso. But she had the gun ready, and fired against it’s head as it opened it’s mouth to take a bite of her. One more pop of her pistol and the last feral was dead, it’s rotting clawed fingers still dug into her leg.

Cade pushed them both off of her and inspected the wounds, they would need attention but she had to make sure Hancock was still alive first. There were pops of his shotgun going off and then silence, she clamored to her feet. Dogmeat was no longer barking, Codsworth's laser was absent as well.

“Vaultie! You still alive?” Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of his voice.

“Holy shit! Three! Three of them!” Cade bent over breathing heavily, her hands on her knees, the adrenaline of the fight wearing off.

“Mum! Your leg! You’re bleeding! Let me clean and bandage that right up for you!” Codsworth came up to her in a flurry, “Oh my, where is the pack?! I’ll never forgive myself if you bleed out right in front of me!”

“Codsworth,” she said with a deep breath, “I won’t bleed out, I’m fine. It’s over-“ she pointed in the direction of her poor hiding spot where she was jumped. He got the idea and found it after a few complaints about “Sorry Sods!” and “Damn Buggers!”. Before she knew it, she was being lead inside the old Red Rocket and being told to find a seat. “Just wrap it up and give me a Stimpak. I’m fine.”

“No, Mum! I will not allow you to get an infection. What kind of Mr. Handy do you take me for?”

“You should listen to the old man, knows what he’s talking about,” Hancock was leaning against the doorway, smirk across his face, “Those ferals carry all sorts of nasty shit.”

“Fine,” she grumbled as she took off her boot and carefully rolled up the leg of her vaultsuit. Codsworth immediately turned on a flashlight, blinding her, “Hey! Not right in my eyes!”

“Sorry Mum, need to be careful. Might need stitches,” the robot had more skills than she had been aware of than when she bought him at the store, apparently.

“Just make it quick, I have a few Stims okay? I want to get to Sanctuary, I’m exhausted and have zombie guts all over me.”

“Oof, they got ya good,” Hancock said peering over Codsworth's round body, “Shame to scar those gorgeous legs 'a yours.” He winked at her.

“Next time, Miss Cade you shouldn’t try to fight three by yourself,” Codsworth scolded her.

“It’s not like I planned it! They jumped me from behind, I either fight them or I die. But sure, I’ll consult my robot butler the next time I want to live.”

Hancock whistled, “Ya took on three? Vaultie you sure are something. People who travel with me don’t usually last the day.”

“Nearly didn’t,” she grumbled. All he did was laugh before lighting a cigarette and reaching down to pet Dogmeat who was sitting patiently next to him.

“Good news Miss Cade, some bandages and a Stimpak will be all you need!” Codsworth announced.

“No shit, that’s what I said. Mayor would you be so kind as to get me a Stim?”

“Oh sure, this is my specialty.”

The way he returned to her with the needle, easily inserted it and gently administered it had her believing him fully. It wasn’t her intention for him to care for her but she wasn’t going to say no when he seemed to be so happy to do it.

“Let’s go Dogmeat,” she whistled as they finally left the old station.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, not gonna lie, Shadowbringers for FFXIV came out and I had to prep and then finish that. And Holy fucking shitballs is it amazing. ❤️❤️ Strongly recommend this game.


	8. Chapter 8

“Well ain’t this a pretty picture,” Hancock whistled as their small and strange army marched into Sanctuary that early morning.

“Should have seen it before,” Cade said wistfully, sounding more depressed than she had meant to.

“Awe, cheer up Vaultie. It ain’t so bad here in the Commonwealth, just let Mayor Hancock guide ya; you’ll be just fine,” her friend wrapped an arm around her shoulder, an extra kick in his step.

Sanctuary’s dilapidated homes were strange to look at. It still felt like just yesterday they were pristine and the subdivision was a model home haven for the future. The cracks in the road, the rusted out vehicles and sinking roofs were outright bizarre. Never mind the two-headed cow that was approaching them as they walked forward, it had suitcases and other packages strapped to it’s back.

“What the hell is that?!” She exclaimed.

“Just a Brahmin,” Hancock had abandoned his post across her shoulders to light a cigarette. The familiar scent wafted over to her, inciting a craving she had given up a few months before the bombs dropped. Good health and all that. A woman appeared from the other side of the two-headed cow staring her down with an uneasy glare, she gratefully kept walking by them without saying anything.

“I think that woman was creepier than the cow,” Cade remarked.

Hancock laughed but didn’t get to say anything because an enthusiastic Codsworth whirred ahead of them toward her old home buzzing about trimming the weeds and patching a hole in the wall with some the scrap they had picked up.

“What the hell?” They heard a voice say.

Dogmeat began barking enthusiastically and ran forward, in the yellow house across from hers the minutemen had set up camp. Only one of them were up and about this early but Dogmeat had decided he was the camp alarm clock today. Soon, the small group came piling out if the yellow house to see what was going on. They all had their guns ready to fire pointing them first at Dogmeat and then Cade and Hancock.

“Cade!” Preston said with surprise.

“Sorry for waking you all up, Preston,” she said, “We’ve been walking all night.”

“No, don’t apologize. Come sit, I’ll get some food for you.” Preston grabbed an old outside chair for her sit in and she didn’t feign politeness, taking it immediately.

“Thank you so much,” she said.

Hancock found his own chair and sat down with groan, enjoying the seat as much as she was.

“I’m so glad you’re here. We could really use your help, the Minutemen could really use your help,” Preston lit the campfire and dumped two cans of beans into a bowl over it.

“I know I helped you guys in Concord, but really it was freakishly good luck. Like I told you before,” Caid said.

“Taking down a Deathclaw and all those raiders was not good luck,” Preston turned to her.

“And here I thought she was tellin' one on me,” Hancock grinned, “You really did take out a Deathclaw.”

Cade glared at him, “I wasn’t lying.”

“She did. Saved all our asses in Concord. I don’t know what we would have done without her,” Preston said.

“I had power armor and a giant gun. And Dogmeat and Codsworth. And they were shooting from inside. I hardly did it all on my own,” the unearned praise was getting on her nerves.

“Well, for what it’s worth; thank you, again,” Preston went back to the campfire realizing that she was annoyed and decided to drop it.

“Take the compliments with more grace why don’t ya?” Hancock tapped her foot with the toe of his boot.

“What?” she looked up at him.

“Vaultie, around here, people don’t go around helping without there being ulterior motives or bribes or worse. That’s what he’s thankin' ya for.”

Hancock’s smug wiseness was just as irritating as Preston’s insistence that she was their savior. She frowned at him and didn’t say anything, choosing to stare at a rusty square of the collapsed house next door.

Several minutes of staring into space went by until Preston presented her with a bowl of hot beans. It was the best meal she had ever eaten in her life and it was gone in no time.

“We have some sleeping bags if you want to rest,” Preston said gently.

“That would be wonderful,” she said.

Snuggled into even a dirty sleeping bag on a hard floor she didn’t care about anything. Her eyes closed on their own and she was sleeping peacefully.

It was mid-afternoon when she finally rolled over. Outside she heard people banging on metal, talking, and going about doing who knew what. The vault suit was the worst to sleep in and she decided to never sleep in it again. It stuck to her body like it had been glued.

She put her boots on and walked out of the house, Sturges was tinkering with something at a workbench cussing at it and hammering uselessly.

“Hey,” she said, yawning.

“Well hey there,” he immediately turned and beamed at her, changing his mood completely.

“Having trouble?”

“This damn water pump part is frozen solid,” he said.

“Um, I think I have some oil in my pack. Might loosen it up a bit.”

“That might do the trick!”

A half an hour later, Sturges was joyfully marching over to the water pump and installing it.

“There you go again,” Hancock's gravelly voice said from behind her.

“What?”

“Helping folks, they’re gonna get a complex or some shit if you keep that up.”

“Do you even know what a complex is?” she crossed her arms with an amused grin.

“I know enough that you’re exactly what they needed when they needed it,” he said.

“Perhaps, or I’m just a nice person. Is that really in such short supply?”

“Sweetheart, we don’t even know what that means,” he lit another cigarette.

“Right,” she considered his words but still felt skeptical. There had to be other people who cared about more than just themselves.

“Look, I can see the wheels turnin'. What I mean is, if folks help other folks there’s always a price to pay. So no one bothers. They turn the other cheek because it’s not worth losing their life or their families.”

“Mayor,” she sighed, “I get what you’re saying. But I don’t know what it has to do with me.”

“Keep helpin' em, they're gonna rely on you. Watch your back. All I’m sayin.”

“Here I thought you were encouraging me to do it,” she glared at him, surprised by his statement.

Instead of saying anything he shrugged his shoulders and walked away, leaving her more confused than ever.

That night, everyone was gathered around the campfire, eating a tato and meat stew that Marci had prepared. She was listening to Preston talk about the Minutemen and how they used to help settlements and other people around the Commonwealth. He spoke with sadness and longing with each tale, how the people had come to rely on them before.

“That business at Quincy was bullshit,” Hancock, “Gunners are a pain my ass.”

Everyone went silent, Cade didn’t understand and just looked around at each of them. Marcy looked like she was ready to boil, Jun tried to comfort her wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He whispered something soft to her.

But she exploded, “What do you know about the “Quincy business”? It’s not like you or anyone else came to help or did anything!”

“Whoa, sister. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Hancock frowned putting his hands up in surrender.

“Then keep your mouth to your self!” she snapped at him.

“Fine, fine.” He grumbled.

Cade couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Marcy and Jun, their son was killed during the Quincy Massacre and Marcy had a hard time dealing with it. She empathized with her temperamental attitude. If it were her, maybe she would feel the same way. Hancock got up from his seat and walked away from the group carrying a large liquor bottle, she could hear him gulping it down heavily. What did he have to drink about? It wasn’t his son dead.

“Preston?” she called to the lone Minuteman who was left in the Commonwealth.

Preston had been staring into fire, whether he had been listening was debatable, “Yeah Cade?”

“Why haven’t the Minutemen been rebuilt?” she asked.

She thought he flinched but it could have been the firelight dancing across his face but he sighed and said, “The people don’t have faith in them anymore. After Quincy, there was no reason to trust the Minutemen. They hunkered down and realized they can only rely on themselves, I suppose.”

“Oh,” she thought for a moment, “what if we rebuilt the trust? What could we do?”

“Cade, I don’t know,” Preston looked at her and then away for a few moments but suddenly back at her, “Well we could visit them, offer help and then ask them to join.”

“Could it be that easy?”

“That’s how they were built in the first place, settlements wanting to create an alliance together. Defend each other. So why not?”

She noticed the others were listening to them carefully, “Hancock and I were, well—we didn’t exactly have a plan but came here to visit you all and see if I, well…”

“We haven’t seen your kind of selflessness in a long time around here, we need someone like you.”

“I uh,” Hancock’s words were ringing in her ears, loud and clear, “Why me?”

“I can’t lead, I can get my men through a firefight, but I can’t… you’ve already proven your ability to put yourself aside without anything in it for yourself.”

“Preston, I’m barely thawed out of the Vault. I don’t think I’m your person,” she said.

“Thawed?”

“Nevermind that, what I’m saying is I don’t have the experience for that.”

“You were exactly who we needed when we needed it, who’s to say you wouldn’t be for others?”

Cade sighed, feeling like this was a hopeless argument, “I’ll make a deal with you. Go to a couple places, spread the word. See what happens?”

“More than I could have hoped for ten minutes ago,” Preston grinned up at her.

Everyone around them had been listening carefully, Sturges had a smile as long a mile on his face. Marcy and Jun, they were as neutral as ever. Mama Murphy smiled with a closed mouth, staring hard at her, which made her feel slightly uneasy.

“Well, I’ll go let Hancock know, goodnight everyone.”

She found the ghoul Mayors leaned against old dead tree that was at the center of the cul-de-sac.

“You were right about one thing,” she said.

“No shit?” he slurred.

“Preston wants me to help rebuild the Minutemen. Asked me to lead them, I declined but said I would go talk to some settlements get it started.”

“That’s good Vaultie,” he said, his face was shadowed but he seemed genuine.

“Good? You acted like it was a bad thing earlier.”

“Wanted to make sure your intentions were all you know- right and shit.”

“Yeah…you’re just an asshole, you know?”

“That may be true,” he agreed and then walked over to her, “So when we leaving?”

“Might as well start tomorrow, I guess. See what the this shit hole has for me. Maybe this is it? This is what I’m supposed to do now?”

“Hey, out here it’s rough, and Goodneighbor can be there if you decide it ain’t for ya. Remember that too.”

“Thanks.”

“No thanks necessary, for the people, by the people and all that. Let’s go get some shut eye. Long day tomorrow.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Cade and Hancock were given one of the rooms of the yellow house to themselves to sleep in, which she was grateful for.

But as she tossed and turned as quietly as she could, it was hard to keep her mind off of everything and having slept most of the day already the night was restless. Hancock’s snoring didn’t help. Several minutes passed by before she got sick of listening to it decided to wake him up with a violent nudge. Since the night they had sex on the rooftop they hadn’t shared even a kiss and she was okay with that, casual sex was okay. But the snoring? No, that wasn’t okay.

“Hancock! Wake up! You’re gonna attract more ferals with shit.”

The way he jumped up and grabbed his shotgun and began looking for something to shoot nearly had her in fits. She had to bury her face into the dirty pillow or else everyone would wake up too.

“Fuck, Vaultie. Don’t do that, nearly shot ya,” he sat back down on his sleeping bag wiping his face exhausted and tired.

“Lucky I didn’t shoot you, the snoring was so loud. Keeping me awake.”

“Trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah, slept too long earlier and lot on my mind.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” a grin spread across his face and he moved his sleeping stuff closer to her. “I can help ya sleep.”

“Oh? And what did you have in mind?” her eyes darted toward the doorway with the absent door.

“Just be quiet and relax,” he leaned over her kissing her jaw while he unbuttoned the borrowed shirt she slept in. His hands slipped under the fabric, deftly finding her left nipple, pinching it. Cade let out a breathy moan turning towards him. “Shh, gonna wake the neighbors,” he said, pressing her back down. His lips found her jaw, licking it along the bone and down her neck, then across the collarbone spreading her shirt open further. She gasped, the cool nights air sending a chill where he left a wet trail on her skin.

More buttons came undone exposing her breasts to him when he finished. It was amazing to her how smooth and soft his fingers were as he drew them back up her body.

“Here I was thinking you were going to recommend a drink or something else,” she whispered wryly.

He groaned before licking the nipple closest to him and looked up at her, “I can arrange that too, Sweetheart.” Fingers pinched the opposite nipple just before he devoured the first one and she bit her lip, constraining against her own vocal need.

“Ah! I don’t know-,” she whimpered as he bit down, “So good.”

He reached above him, rifling through his pack, mouth still suckling on her breast, then pulled out a tiny pill. It was held between two fingers, dangling it before her eyes.

“What is it?”

“Something special. It will help you relax, trust me?”

For a moment she stared at the pill, contemplating if it was a good idea, he didn’t even tell her what it was. But she opened her mouth for him to place it on her tongue. She swallowed it easily, it was so small.

“Enjoy the ride,” he crooned next to her ear, beginning to unbutton her pants for her. Then kissed her along the jaw, and back down to her breast, this time mouthing the neglected one. She rolled toward him, pressing her body close to him, lifting a leg over his hip.

“How long?”

“You’ll know.”

Cade couldn’t help but think about when, how it would feel, what would happen… if it would harm her… She felt a bit of panic begin to well up even as Hancock’s fingers began to dip inside of her pants. The panic was alarming but she felt a rush of lust as he swiped lightly at her clit. Cade searched for his mouth as she ground her hips to meet his fingers. Her lips kissed his face, along the sleek flesh and along his neck, suckling at it with abandon. She heard him groan with enjoyment before he turned his head and met her lips in an eager kiss.

“You’re so wet Vaultie, I love it,” he surprised her by removing his fingers and licking them. Impulsively she leaned forward, took his fingers from him and began sucking on them. “Oh, that’s good too.” He watched her with interest, dazed by the eagerness that she devoured them.

Cade licked them until Hancock grabbed her crushing his thin lips to hers. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips, feeling his hard cock. For a moment, she rolled off of him and removed her pants and underthings before settling back down on him. With a flick of her hips she stroked her pussy up his dick, the friction of his pants feeling better than she would have thought. As his fingers gripped and dug into her hips she started noticing her head becoming lighter than it had been a moment before.

“Ah, I think I feel it,” she whispered letting her head tilt back and his hands guide her body's movement for now.

“Does it feel good?”

“Yeah, I like it. My, mmm, you should take your pants off.”

“There’s an order I’ll never refuse from you,” quickly he unbuckled them and brought her ass forward while he slid them down his legs, “There, that better sweetheart?”

Her center felt the hardness instantly and she had to cover her mouth with her arm, “Yesss, Hancock. Everything feels so good.”

“Enjoyable side benefit of that little magic thing,” next he reached down and when the next thrust of her hip went back she was being impaled by his cock. She let out a moan and he quickly sat up to kiss her and eat it for her, knowing she would have a hard time controlling the impulse. His own hips pushed up into her deep and they settled into a slow motion that made them both moan between kisses.

Cade felt like she was pleasured on every surface of her body, tiny hands massaging each inch of her inside and out. With every thrust she attempted to take him deeper, closer to her, scratching his skin- clawing at it. Nothing seemed to be enough. The kisses became bites and growled something that made her want to become feral herself. She felt unhinged almost like an inferno inside, the waves of pleasure seemed to be unending. How she wished she could scream and cry to her heart’s content. But all she could do was whimper between his lips, tongue and teeth. It was almost too much, she wanted to cry tears. And then when her body began to shaking, tingling and stiffen the wave did become too much and she couldn’t hold back anymore.

She leaned back grinding her pelvis into his, head tilted and before he could stop her she cried, “Hancock, oh my God!” And she let out a loud moan as her vision blurred and her entire body became overwhelmed and stiffened. His hands were behind her back and neck supporting her so she would fall back, slowly pushing up into her to prolong the hard orgasm as it ripped through her. Inside of her, his dick hit places she didn’t realizes existed. It felt like hours when she finally relaxed, him still moving up inside of her sending tiny jolts of pleasure throughout her. She leaned forward and slumped onto his shoulder.

“Oh, wow. That, that was-“

“Shh, not done yet,” Hancock rolled her onto her back, still connected to her and bent her leg and she moaned again, “Wish I could let you wake the whole damn place.” He bent over kissing her hard again, pushing in and out of her faster now. The sensation was incredible, and all she could do was lay there while he drilled into her. Another orgasm began to mount quickly, she wiggled uncontrollably beneath him as it began. He pushed harder and it exploded, causing her to whole body to seize again. This time he stopped her loud moaning by sticking two fingers inside her mouth. It surprised her for a second but she suckled on them and the moan was muffled. Hancock began his own twitching movements and grunts and finally faster ones as he began to cum deep inside of her. He cried out too, though very quiet, and she wondered if he was struggling too. When he still he leaned down on his elbows and kissed her on the mouth sweetly, savoring the taste of her tongue before rolling off and taking her with.

“Everything feels so good still,” she cooed, her cheek against his chest. She was so sweaty with the button up shirt still on. It had barely been noticeable before.

“My special blend, next time we’ll ride together,” he stroke the hairs sticking to her face. She wondered briefly what they meant to each other.

“That was the best sex I’ve ever had,” she laughed.

“I could tell,” he laughed with her, “We need our own place, won’t be missing you moan like that again. Can’t believe I missed it.”

“Our own place huh? Sounds… shit. I don’t even know,” she giggled and covered her face.

“Now don’t get to thinkin' too hard again, Vaultie,” he smiled, “I’m too tired now to do that again.”

“I am too,” she yawned on cue and grabbed the blankets, not even minding that they were both mostly naked as she fell asleep.

The next day she woke before Hancock did, his snoring was louder than the banging they were doing outside and she wondered how it even happened since he didn’t have a nose. They were tangled together by the legs and she had to kick her legs free. It was surprising that he didn’t even move when she did so. She rubbed her face as she sat up and felt great actually. Whatever it was that he gave her let her sleep better than she had since waking up from the vault.

She slipped on her pants, shoes and buttoned up her shirt as she made her way down the hall and out of the house to find something to eat. Again Sturges was the first person she found when she emerged.

“Mornin’ Cade! How’d you sleep?” he asked with a bright smile, and a wave of the wrench he was holding.

“Pretty good actually. Uh, where’s Preston?” she asked.

“He’s out back in the garden.”

“Thanks.”

Preston was digging a hole with Jun for a fence post when she came up to him.

“Preston, good morning,” she greeted him, “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Morning, Cade,” he averted his eyes away from her and it didn’t take long for her to think of why. It was difficult for her not to burst out laughing at his embarrassment but she held herself together. “I, uh, don’t think so. Are you and Hancock leaving this morning? There’s breakfast before you do.”

She shuffled her feet, “Right to business then? Yeah I suppose we might as well. No time like the present, eh?”

“Sorry, I just assumed-“

“No, it’s okay. I just thought you might like some help around here is all.”

“We’re good for now, but while you’re out if you find any supplies that could be useful, it would be a big help.”

“Of course, I can do that. I guess I’ll go wake him up and get going,” she smiled again began walking away.

“Hey, I really do appreciate what your doing. Not many out here willing to do something.”

“Sure, I’ll let you know before we leave.”

When she rounded back to the front of the house Hancock was leaning in the doorway talking to Sturges, a bowl of food in her hand.

“Well, look who it is,” he crooned, “Ready to head out?”

“Yeah, let me eat and stuff first,” she was a little unsure about how everyone was just pushing her out the door as soon as she woke up.

“Here,” Hancock handed her a bowl of tatos and some other vegetables that she didn’t have the name for yet, “What’s wrong Sunshine? That stuff give you a bad morning?”

She sighed and sat down on a patio chair away from the two men, “I’m fine.”

He followed and sat in the seat next to her, “That’s not the afterglow I thought I’d see this morning, Vaultie. But if you don’t wanna talk about it, I understand.”

“Oh, no. Hancock. It’s not that. Feel like I’m being shoved out the door at sixteen by my parents I guess.”

“Shit, I was sneaking off to Goodneighbor at that age,” he lit a cigarette.

She laughed, “Guess I have a lot to catch up on then.”

“You’ll get it.”

She nodded in agreement but wasn’t sure she did. It didn’t matter either way, she had shit to do and there was no point in complaining. Just do it and don’t bitch. At least she got mind-blowing sex out it.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Hancock was whistling one of Magnolia's tunes and smoking a cigarette as they approached the farm closest to Sanctuary. Preston noted it would be the best place to start for Minutemen support. There was a large electric pylon and a structure built onto it, the old boards and mismatched pieces looked truly like the apocalypse setting she had read about before the war in fiction novels. Hancock wasn’t paying attention while he tossed his cigarette and pulled out an inhaler, following her as she led them towards the settlement.

As they got closer she realized something was wrong. A strange ozone smell filled the air.

“Do you smell that?” she asked.

“Huh. Thought it was just the Jet,” he looked up and down at the settlement below them, “Down there, look. They’re being attacked.”

Lazers were firing from the other side of structure and strange men who resembled mannequins stepped out from behind it, shooting their guns.

“What the fuck are those?”

“Synths,” Hancock growled.

“You thought I was one of those?” she blurted the first thing that had come to mind but began in earnest to run toward the settlement. “We have to help them.”

He yelled something but she ignored it as she raced forward, pulling her gun out and slamming into the side of the building. She hoped they hadn’t been seen, it would be better to take out a few before they were noticed.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed running into shit like this!” he hissed when his own body slammed into the ancient wooden slats.

“It’s fine, come on,” she jumped a nearby fence, full of confidence and ready to fight these synths who looked no tougher than a paper bag. Crouched down she kept herself covered by the building and some old shrubs and pointed her weapon and shot. It missed and caught the attention of every synth- which were a lot more than she had thought. Shit.

Hancock came up and grabbed her by the collar quickly pulling her back and up some stairs she didn’t realize were there. Inside they took cover as the synths followed them. They bottlenecked them, but their weapons far out powered their own and she quickly began hating herself for her rash decisions. She couldn’t look Hancock in the eye as she kept her back against the wall and peeked out the door firing off rounds at the mannequins as they got closer. There was no doubt he was judging her and she didn’t even want to know what he was thinking.

“Hope there’s no backdoor to this place!” he growled.

She gritted her teeth, frowning as one went down. There were still so many to go…

Hancock popped off his shotgun, reloaded and shot off the head of another one and she watched it explode into a cacophony of wires, gears and technical bits in front of them. Four more that she knew of left.

He picked up something from a back pocket and pulled a pin, “Was saving this, but good a time as any!” He threw it out at the remaining four, their legs were blown off and they toppled to the ground in a wild spark of electricity. It made it easier to fire headshots and soon they were quiet. She went to leave the doorway to check for more but he grabbed her again.

“Whoa, sister. Stay here, we can check through the windows this time.”

She replied with a nod and followed him keeping close to the walls and out of sight. He peeked out a ratty curtain and flipped to the otherside, nodded for a clear and quietly moved to the next one. Repeated the same movements and walked around a dividing wall. There weren’t anymore windows on this level so they climbed a set of wooden stairs that looked like they could fall apart at any moment. Hancock motioned for her to keep low as they reached the second floor and to stay quiet.

As they looked over the clearing they noticed a man and a child huddled in the corner, eyes wide and terrified. The man held his mouth over the small child’s mouth and wore a grim frown. Hancock put up his hands in peace and then made the quiet signal over his own mouth with a finger. The man didn’t respond but held the child tighter. Cade noticed he had a gun in his hands, pointed directly at them.

She tugged at Hancock’s coat getting his attention. “I know, it’s fine,” he whispered, crouching near them, “we’re here to help. Just going to check, make sure it's clear.”

The man nodded, but kept his gun pointed at them, not willing to trust.

“We’re with the Minutemen,” Cade whispered with a gentle smile. The man’s eyes went wide and she could see the color drain from his face even under the dirt and grime. And then she heard his gun click, getting ready to fire.

“Hey, whoa! No need for that brother, just killed an assload of synths outside. Put it down until we make sure there’s not anymore,” Hancock growled at the man, signaling Cade to check while he kept the man calm.

She kicked herself in the shin internally for screwing up again and went to the nearby window. Clear. The next window was on the other side, she hobbled over crouching and checked. Outside, there were four bodies. One synth and three human. But none alive.

With sadness she turned back to them, “I think it’s clear.”

“Now, look. I’m Mayor Hancock from Goodneighbor and this is Cade. We’re only here to help. Saw the attack, how many were here?”

“Us or them?” the man sneered.

“Both,” Hancock sneered right back, not willing to take any shit.

“I don’t know how many synth there were, I grabbed him and hid up here. It was me and my family here. Couple of others.”

“I only saw three men dead outside,” Cade replied.

Blake looked relieved but saddened still, “George, Markus and Will then. Connie and Lucy must have gotten away.”

“And you ran up here like a coward!” Hancock snarled. Cade cringed at the outburst and Blake stood up, toppling the small boy over onto the ground.

“And who woulda protected the boy? He couldn’t do it himself!”

“That’s a fine excuse as I ever heard,” Hancock inched closer, his hands fisting.

“Hancock! Stop! He’s right,” Cade placed a hand on his chest squaring up to him.

Blake's posture didn’t relax until she got her friend to back down and walk away. “We’ll go look for the other two. Connie and Lucy right?”

Blake blinked away from Hancock and settled on her, “Yeah, that’s them. But why would I trust you? He comes in here accusing me of being a coward claiming to be with the Minutemen. After my farmhands and friends get attacked by synths!”

“He didn’t mean it, okay? Just calm down. Please, I just want to help. Preston Garvey sent us to help,” she said.

“Preston Garvey?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if he sent you… fine. Find Connie and Lucy and we can talk.”

“Good enough for me. Come on Hancock.”

Hancock was huffing down the steps and out the door before she could catch up with him. She had no idea where to even begin looking for the two women and didn’t feel like dealing with a moody ghoul Mayor.

Cade stood outside looking around, studying the landscape looking for anywhere they could have hidden. Everything was mostly barren and there were no outbuildings. She groaned.

“Hancock! Have any ideas?”

“No.”

“That’s great,” she turned around and decided to start looking in the brush, “I’m going to start in the tall brush and work my way out. Do whatever you want I guess.”

“Fine by me,” she watched him light a cigarette and walk the opposite direction from her.

Cade searched the perimeter of the house and even found a well hidden outbuilding that wasn’t obvious until she was right next to it but it was empty except for old rusty relics and some scrap. She even went further away from the homestead than she had intended and Blake had come out of the house for a moment to ask her if they had been found. She replied that they hadn’t and he quietly went back inside without a word. The dead men and synth still laid in the yard and she wished she could do something with them besides pretend they weren’t there.

The synth were creepy to look at with their plastic skin and mechanical limbs shaped like people. Their mouths hung open and she remembered the way they had crawled up at her speaking like robots with their jaws yapping open when their legs were shot off. To think the two women had run off in that direction didn’t make any sense, so she stuck to the opposite way of the fighting.

It wasn’t until an hour later when Hancock came back and up over the hill with two women who were surprisingly chatty that she realized how long it had been.

“Thanks for finding us Mayor!” the younger one beamed at him.

“Don’t worry about it, Sunshine, just doing my duty,” he grinned. The girl flushed a rosy pink that came through even under her dirty face.

“We can’t thank you enough for helping with the synths either, Mayor. Blake had his hands full with Shaun. The poor boy gets terrified easily. I’m sure you understand,” the older one said.

Cade walked over to them, happy to see they had been found but surprised to see their good moods and irritated for some reason…

“Look who I found!” Hancock beamed at her.

“Yeah, you must be Connie and Lucy,” Cade stuck out her hand for a greeting. Blake came running out of the house, the boy--Shaun—on this heels but staying on the porch. Blake grabbed the older woman and hugged her tight.

“Oh thank goodness you’re alive, Connie. I feared the worst,” he exclaimed.

“It’s okay Blake! I’m fine! So is Lucy. I’m glad you’re fine too. And Shaun. Mayor told us about the others, rest their souls,” Connie said into his shoulders, relief clear in her voice.

“They fought well, Con. Best they could do. Those son’s a bitches came out of nowhere. Glad you two ran when you could,” Blake pulled away to give Lucy a quick hug.

“Daddy, Mayor Hancock found us just in time. Some Raiders nearly got us. But he took care of it. Think it was the same group that got Mary last season,” Lucy said.

Blake let go of Lucy and eyed Hancock, “Is that so? Well, I… I thank you Mayor. Thank you. Really appreciate it.” Blake stuck his hand out and Hancock grabbed the man’s for a firm shake. They exchanged brief smiles and released while Cade stood there feeling as useless as ever. She slumped her shoulders and waited for the entire thing to be over with so she could just get the trip back to the Sanctuary over with. Let the pity party begin…

“Now,” Blake turned to her, she looked at him with surprise, “you can tell Preston Garvey we’ll join the Minutemen. Under one condition.”

Cade's wide eyes revealed her shock and Blake laughed.

“We lost our best men, we need support. If he can help with that. He’s got a deal.”

“Oh. Well. I’ll be sure to let him know. That’s better news than I’m sure he was expecting. Thanks Mr.. uh..,”

“Abernathy.”

“Mr. Abernathy.”

Cade and Hancock helped them bury their dead friends and place markers. Cade decided to scrap the dead synth for parts, noting that the pieces could be helpful in rebuilding some things she saw in disrepair around the farm and at Sanctuary. She let Blake know that she would see about sending Sturges down to set up a better water pump and maybe some better electricity for them as well. Which he agreed to as well and helped him feel even better about agreeing to join with the Minutemen. As she talked to him she realized that she could do more than just fight, and that she could offer other skills—her knowledge of technology she had learned about from her time would be very useful for one. Her ability to work with people and set up business deals could help set up their small network between Abernathy’s farm and Sanctuary for trade even.

When her and Hancock set back to Sanctuary she was smiling and happy. Ready to learn more about her place in this new life.

“So, I gotta ask,” she began as they neared the Red Rocket station, “What was the deal right after the fight? You like snapped.”

“Shit, well. Sometimes ya know, I just get irritated about things. Don’t worry about it.”

“Right. Well. I guess if you don’t wanna talk about it, we won’t.”

He draped an arm across her shoulders, “Now don’t worry, Vaultie. I won’t go feral on ya.”

“Hah! I’m not worried about that.”

“Good. Cause I like this whole adventurin' business we got goin' on. Hate to mess it up.”

“Me too.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
